6 KPop Idols who left their group and their reasons for leaving

The South Korean Entertainment industry is competitive. Extremely competitive. Since the rise of KPop groups, there have been hundreds of groups who started and then no one knows where they went. Some suddenly disbanded, some had issues, some, just disappeared and you never heard them again till you actually sat down to Google it. It happened to me once, for a group called Lucente. 

However, there are also many times when either members themselves take the jump and leave a group, or when the agency itself kicks them out. Both are very much possible. But both end up tarnishing the band’s reputation in one wayor another. Today, we’re looking at 6 KPop idols who left their groups (or were kicked out) and the reasons behind it.

Wonho from Monsta X

The now solo artist Wonho, had been embroiled in a nasty drug scandal where allegations of him using cannabis surfaced. He did refuse the allegations and told Dispatch that he was innocent, but as the investigations were still ongoing, and the way the Korean entertainment industry is, Wonho and the group had been facing a lot of flak. To not tarnish the band’s reputation, Wonho then posted a handwritten letter in October 2019, informing fans that he’ll be leaving Monsta X. In mid 2020, he was cleared of all the allegations after a thorough investigation. However, he is currently focusing on his solo career. 

Jimin from AOA

Accused of bullying another group member, AOA leader Jimin announced that she would be leaving the group in July 2020. The original news that broke out was of an unnamed member bullying Mina about her crying over her father’s death. Soon after, the agency announced that Jimin would be leaving. Before the controversy broke out, Mina had decided not to renew her contract in 2019. This was one of the biggest scandals exposed in the Korean entertainment industry last year.

Kim Sunghyun from IN2IT

In September 2019, Kim Sunghyun left IN2IT after alleging the poor care and mistreatment by the agency, MMO Entertainment. Sunghyun took to his Instagram to write a long letter explaining the situation in detail - from delayed promotions to no promotions at all, from not paying the members enough to telling them to pay for their own haircuts - he had listed many things. After some time, the agency then released the statement refuting the things Sunghyun had talked about, and said that Sunghyun was the one who didn’t want to join them after his stint on Produce 101. Whatever be the case, Sunghyun is out of IN2IT. 

Youngmin from AB6IX

The 5-member group AB6IX debuted in May 2019. Cut to a year later,  one of the members, Youngmin, was caught drunk driving with friends. He faced a lot of backlash from netizens over this and as a result, decided to leave the group so as to cause no more harm to the band members. He posted an apology saying that he felt “pathetic” and that he is aware of his mistakes and is reflecting on his actions now. He was caught by the police and also had his driving license revoked. 

Kangin from Super Junior

In his entire career, Kangmin has been involved in a lot of scandals. He’s got repeated DUI (Driving-under-influence) charges and even charges of physically assaulting his girlfriend in public. After his second DUI, the singer finally announced that he would be leaving the group in 2019 via an Instagram post, apologising to both the members and the fans. After 14 years of being a part of the group, and being on break for two years, mostly because of his DUI, Kangin finally said goodbye to Super Junior.

B.I from iKon

Another member, another scandal. Hanbin was accused of buying LSD. A report picked up by a news agency showed chats between B.I. and a drug dealer. The news became huge and YG Entertainment apologized to the fans and public for the singer’s behaviour. After some time, B.I. announced that he would be leaving the group and also posted an apology letter on Instagram.

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What are your thoughts on the members who left their respective groups? Is leaving the group really the only option and way to get away with things? Share your thoughts in the comments below!